A new approach to authorship: A call for change from Nigeria

A new approach to authorship: A call for change from Nigeria

In Nigeria the pressure for academicians to publish or perish is intense. Limited resources mean scholars have to include heads of departments who made no contributions to scholarly work as co-authors. Researchers are compelled to do this in order to continue to secure grants, and an ‘enabling’ environment to do research. I do not see how author contributions help since we cannot state, for example, that ‘author ABC only gave permission for the study to be undertaken’. A change is needed, urgently.